Snow flurries pass through as Arctic air arrives in Baltimore

CaptionWarm winter weather

Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun

The only clues that this is the first day of winter are the lack of leaves on the trees and the installation of holiday evergreens above Joseph Young and Amanda McCormick of Baltimore, who enjoy the Winter Solstice with an unofficial temperature in the 70s at Mount Vernon Place.

The only clues that this is the first day of winter are the lack of leaves on the trees and the installation of holiday evergreens above Joseph Young and Amanda McCormick of Baltimore, who enjoy the Winter Solstice with an unofficial temperature in the 70s at Mount Vernon Place. (Karl Merton Ferron, Baltimore Sun)

Temperatures peaked in the upper 40s early Tuesday, but spent the rest of the day in the upper 30s, with wind chills well into the 20s. Temperatures are expected to reach the lower 40s Wednesday, before returning to the 20s overnight, with windy conditions continuing, albeit calmer than Tuesday's.

Snowflakes were spotted Tuesday morning at Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Wind gusts reached 32 mph there, with wind chills as cold as 28 degrees despite air temperatures in the upper 30s.

The slim possibility of any snowfall accumulation didn't come to pass.

"We're not expecting any accumulation," said Dan Hofmann, a meteorologist with the weather service's Baltimore-Washington office. "Road temperatures should be warm enough that no snow should stick. ... [But] even rain can make roadways slick."

The State Highway Administration said it was on alert for the Tuesday morning rush hour, but there was little impact.

"This early in the season, most of us are not expecting to encounter icy conditions while driving," SHA Administrator Melinda B. Peters said in a statement. "The best way to be prepared is to slow down and use caution."

The flurries were expected to wrap up by midday, and no further snow is in the immediate forecast, Hofmann said. But the wintry chill is here to stay. Overnight Tuesday, temperatures are forecast to drop into the upper 20s in the suburbs and the lower 30s downtown.

Western Maryland, including Frostburg, was meanwhile under a winter weather advisory Tuesday. Snow accumulation between 2 and 4 inches is in the forecast with temperatures in the low 30s.

Snow in November is not unheard of. The last time the area got more than an inch was in 1989, when 3.8 inches fell. Six inches fell in 1987 and 1953, and 8.4 inches fell in 1967.

Be sure to bundle up Tuesday even if you don't need snow boots or a shovel. A strong cold front is coming to the area overnight into Tuesday, lowering temperatures to the low 40s on Tuesday with a slight chance of snow flakes.